


Something As True As This Is

by orphan_account



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Also drugs, M/M, tw a lot of mentions of suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-24 21:47:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4936504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>RENT AU where Dan is a professor who loses his job and gets mugged on his way to stay with his friends, then gets rescued by a guardian angel of sorts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something As True As This Is

**Author's Note:**

> Okay I just posted a fic yesterday but I guess I'm on a roll.
> 
> This started out mostly because [I'll Cover You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bwZGp0j8FI) is basically 2011 Phil asking Dan to move in with him. Then it got more intense when I found out that PJ and Chris are basically Mark and Roger. Basically I rip off a lot of lines from the RENT musical in this because I'm trash. You probably won't notice if you've only seen the movie though.
> 
> Trigger warnings: a lot of casual allusions to suicide, mentions of use of hard drugs, some vague violence, they have HIV/AIDS. 
> 
> Disclaimers: I don't own RENT sadly and I've never met Dan or Phil these are just fictionalized versions of characters that I've interpreted from their public personas.

Dan starts to really regret his life choices when he's bleeding out in a deserted alleyway in the middle of Manchester. But honestly, he probably should have started when he got fired from the best job he ever had.

He knows in hindsight that spending every other day digressing from his lesson plan to rant to his students about the meaning of life and how it's pointless considering the vastness of our universe. If only he could have realized it _before_ one of his students was standing on the roof of the school shouting his words back at him. Dan's just glad they managed to get him down before anything could happen. He can deal with losing his job over being the cause of someone losing a life.

But what he couldn't deal with was paying for his flat in London with no salary. Or paying for anything really. He got a train ticket to Manchester with the last of the money in his bank account and packed a backpack full of some clothes and set off. He was hoping to stay with his friend PJ for a bit, and also hoping he wouldn't mind Dan showing up without any sort of warning. It's a little hard to call people up when you haven't paid your phone bill in two months.

Dan can't fucking believe his life, he has a damned doctorate in psychology! But the second you drive a kid to almost kill himself, suddenly you can't find work in your field anymore!

He manages to find a phone box once he gets to Manchester and he gathers up enough spare change to dial a number that he desperately hoped was PJ’s. He also desperately hopes that PJ managed to scrape together enough cash to actually pay _his_ bills.

“Ho ho ho?” Dan offers up when the other line finally stops ringing.

Thankfully, a familiar voice answers, “Dan?!”

“I’m in town,”

“Hey!”

For a second Dan can’t tell if the other person is PJ or his best friend, “ _Chris_ picked up the phone?”

“No, it’s me,” PJ laughs.

Dan chuckles, of course, “Make sure you set the key out for me, I’ll be there in a few.”

“Alright mate, I’ll see you!”

Dan hangs up with a relieved grin on his face, at least his friends still like him. Well, one of them does. Chris has been kind of a mess for a while, no one really knows where his head’s at anymore. Dan’s just glad PJ was there for him, because god knows he couldn’t have been.

Dan’s a lot better at theorizing about psychology than he is at being an actual psychologist.

He’s almost got a feeling of airy optimism for the first time for a while when he gets jumped. Really, Dan should know better than to smile in Manchester. He tries his best to fight them off, but it’s at least four guys against one.

Fortunately, he doesn’t have anything valuable on him. Unfortunately, that means they take the one thing they can, which is his coat. Also his dignity.

He lays down in the dark alley for a couple seconds, trying to regain some strength. His nose is bloodied and he’s having trouble bending his left knee. Dan tries to breathe in as much of the crisp winter air as he can, thankful at least that it’s not raining.

It’s getting dark and he’s starting to feel a little woozy when he sees a vague silhouette walking towards him. They start to speed up when they spot Dan bleeding out on the ground and he kind of hopes they’re here to finish up the job.

“Oh my god, are you okay?”

“I’m afraid so,” Dan replies slowly, chuckling lightly but immediately regretting it when a pain shoots up his side.

The figure crouches down and Dan thinks it’s a guy, he’s got concern painting his pale face and his pale eyes. “Did they get any money?”

“No,” Dan grunts, “Had none to get, but they took my coat.”

He struggles to sit up straighter against the wall so he can ultimately stand and go to PJ’s, or maybe a hospital. The guy realizes he’s struggling and quickly stands up and grabs Dan’s arm, hoisting it over his own broad shoulder. Soon enough he’s got Dan just barely standing, but mostly leaning against him.

“Thanks,”

“Well, it’s nearly Christmas,” The guy offers up with a bright grin. Dan almost wants to smile back at him. “I’m Phil.”

“Dan,”

“Hey, if you don’t think it’s too creepy, I can take you back to my place and fix you up a bit.” Phil glances at the watch on his wrist, “I’ve just got a life support meeting in a couple hours.”

When Dan gives him a curious look, Phil’s brave voice fails to mask the fear behind his eyes, “Yeah, I’ve got HIV.” He looks at the ground, avoiding eye contact as he waits for a response

Dan feels a wave of nausea wash over him and he doesn’t know if it’s that statement or the fact that he’s still steadily bleeding from a couple stab wounds.

“Me too.”

Phil looks back at him, anxiety now replaced with earnest and caring, “Well, I think we’ll get along fine.”

Dan does his best to smile, the crusty blood from his nose cracking. He hopes the darkness hides the blush spreading across his face. Phil hesitantly starts taking small steps to lead Dan out of the alley.

“After I patch you up, I’m gonna treat you to a nice meal.” He says with another toothy smile, “You look like you’re about to waste away.”

“My friends are waiting for me,” Dan protests weakly.

Phil stops and looks at the man in his arms, “You’re cute when you blush,” He finally says flirtatiously, winking quickly before he continues walking.

Dan doesn’t really know what he got himself into, but he can’t see any bad in it. He’s never seen a fellow HIV patient be so positive. It’s a direct contrast to what he saw in Chris.

Chris and Dan used to be in a really shitty wannabe rock band back in their college days. Chris sang, Dan played the drums, and PJ filmed them. They did a hell of a lot of partying, and Dan and Chris both got messed up on some pretty serious shit. PJ backed out the second hard drugs got involved and he ended up being the only one lucky enough to get out scot free.

When Dan and Chris got tested and came back with positive results, they had very different reactions to the situation. Dan quit everything, full on cold turkey, and focused on getting his degrees. He buried himself in school while Chris just tried to bury himself.

Chris was convinced that his life was already over so anything he did no longer mattered. Dan can’t count the amount of times he saw his friend try to overdose, on purpose too. He can’t imagine how many more times PJ had to see it when Dan left because he just couldn’t stay in that environment anymore.

They finally make it to Phil’s flat and it’s very small, but it’s cozy. It’s basically all one room, a bed in the middle of it and a small kitchen sectioned off in the corner. There’s one door and it probably leads to a bathroom but Dan never finds out.

“Sit,” Phil insists, dragging Dan over to take a seat on his blue and green comforter on top of his twin sized bed.

“I don’t want to get it all dirty,”

Phil shushes him and helps him up onto his bed anyway, “Where does it hurt?”

As Dan lists off his possible injuries, Phil walks over to the thermostat on the wall and messes with it a bit. Then he turns to a cabinet in the kitchen and pulls out a first aid kit.

“Comes in handy when you’ve got the immune system of an HIV patient, literally.” Phil explains as he starts pulling out gauze. “You’re probably gonna have to take off your clothes. Normally, I’d wait until at least the third date to make that request, but I’m afraid it’s necessary.”

Dan scoffs light heartedly, thankful for every moment he gets to spend in Phil’s sunny presence. He carefully peels off his shirt, shivering because there’s only a small current of heat circulating Phil’s flat.

“I’m sorry,” Phil says sincerely, “I’ll get you a coat and a nice warm meal in just a bit.”

“You don’t have t-”

“Okay, but I’m going to.” Phil stops him, smirking and raising an eyebrow as if to challenge him to argue with him again. It shuts Dan up pretty quickly.

While Phil is tending to his injuries, Dan takes a moment to survey his new companion now that they’re in the light. He’s pale and beautiful and Dan can see small moles littering various parts of his skin. He kind of wants to kiss all of them. His black hair was resting in a very neat fringe at first, but he keeps pushing it back and out of his face and Dan is honestly so grateful for that. His hands are delicate but persistent as he presses an alcohol soaked rag against Dan’s wounds. He keeps wincing sympathetically when Dan hisses at the burning sensation but the care in his blue eyes is almost enough to make Dan forget all about it.

About a half hour later, Dan is as cleaned up as possible and he’s regained enough movement in his knee to limp around without any support. Phil applauds when Dan takes his first steps and makes Dan laugh more than he has in months.

Dan is pulling on his blood stained clothes again when Phil grabs one of the coats that’s serving as one of his pillows and wraps Dan up in it.

“You can keep this.”

“No, Phil,” Dan tries once more to protest, although he’s learning that it’s useless when it comes to Phil.

“Keep it.”

Dan has known this man for maybe an hour and he has a feeling he’s going to be completely whipped for him for a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> This is just going to be a oneshot right now but Who Knows What Time Will Bring.


End file.
